Brush for cleaning bottle

ABSTRACT

A cleaning brush for cleaning bottles, such as baby bottles and the like, including an elongated supporting rod-like member having a crank type arm at the top end with a brush member formed at the bottom end, the brush member made of resilient flexible bristles, the brush member divided into an upper generally cylindrical portion and a lower frusto-conical portion arranged immediately beneath the top cylindrical portion with the bristles getting progressively larger down to the bottom of the brush member, and further bottom brush bristles extending downwardly at an angle from the bottom end of the supporting member for engaging the bottom of a bottle in a manner preventing the bottom of the support member from ever engaging the bottom of the bottle. A rotatively mounted handle is secured to the top end of the crank arm portion so that upon insertion of the brush longitudinally into and through the neck of a bottle so that the bristles engage the walls, bottom, and bottom corners of the bottle the brush may be actively rotated about the support member to scrub the interior of the bottle by use of the rotatable handle.

United States Patent r19 1 Bucklitzsch Jan. 28, 1975 BRUSH FOR CLEANING BOTTLE v [76] Inventor: Hans H. Bucklitzsch, R.R. No. 2,

Bloomington, 111. 61701 [22] Filed: Apr. 9, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 348,907

[52] US. Cl. 15/164, 15/206 [51] Int. Cl A46b 9/02 [58] Field ofSearch ..15/71,164,2l1,2l2,2l3,

Primary Examiner-Peter Feldman Attorney, Agent, or FirmMarden S. Gordon [57] ABSTRACT A cleaning brush for cleaning bottles, such as baby bottles and the like, including an elongated supporting rod-like member having a crank type arm at the top end with a brush member formed at the bottom end, the brush member made of resilient flexible bristles, the brush member divided into an upper generally cylindrical portion and a lower frusto-conical portion arranged immediately beneath the top cylindrical portion with the bristles getting progressively larger down to the bottom of the brush member, and further bottom brush bristles extending downwardly at an angle from the bottom end of the supporting member for engaging the bottom of a bottle in a manner preventing the bottom of the support member from ever engaging the bottom of the bottle. A rotatively mounted handle 1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures 1 BRUSH FOR CLEANING BOTTLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION- l. Field of the Invention This invention related generally to brushes and more particularly to a brush for effectively cleaning the interior walls, bottom and bottom corners of baby bottles and the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art The importance of having clean bottles, such as baby bottles used for feeding young children, bottles used by laboratory technicians, chemists doctors and the like is, of course, well-recognized. Improper cleaning could cause illnesses among the young children regarding baby bottles, with improper cleaning of bottlesused by doctors and laboratory technicians resulting in unpredictable and invalid test results at the best with the worst being possible illnesses and death to individuals receiving medication from unclean bottles.

There has long been in use in the art bottle brush cleaners normally consisting of a single lance of twisted wirestock with bristles radially projecting outwardly therefrom to provide a cylindrical cleaning brush. A further popular design has been a brush where the bristles are spiraled from a maximum diameter at the top portion of the brush down-to substantially a pointed portion at the bottom of the brush. These types of brushes have become more or less standardized but, despite their popularity, these types of brushes are possessed of certain limitations, principal among which is the fact that there is no assurance that all portions of the interior of the bottle have been thoroughly scrubbed by the scrub brush bristles. A further serious limitation is that bottle corners and longitudinally extending bottle edges, such as encountered in bottles of a rectangular, hexagonal, or octagonal shape each providing a multiplicity of such longitudinal edges and hidden recesses which may not be properlythoroughly cleaned by the brush during the cleaning process. While other bristle designs of brushes have been encountered, none satisfactorily function to thoroughly simultaneously contact the bottle wall, bottle bottom surface, bottle corners, and edge surfaces of the bottle in a manner conforming therewith to effectively clean all surfaces to the extent required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION through the neck of a bottle to an operating position within the bottle with-the brush bristles engaging the bottle walls, bottom surface, corners, and interior edge surfaces for thoroughly cleaning the same upon rotation of the cleaning brush therein.

A feature of the present invention is the provision of a bottle cleaning brush which is especially adapted for cleaning the interior of baby bottles or the like comprising a plurality of resilient bristles which are distributcd in a specific design and manner along a central supporting member so that upon insertion of the brush through the neck of a bottle the bristles are brought into intimate contact with all interior parts of the interior of the bottle to facilitate the cleaning operation.

Yet a further feature of the invention provides for the bristles to extend a predetermined distancebeyond the bottom end of the central support member to engage the bottom of the interior bottle surface in a manner preventing the bottom end of the support member from touching or engaging the bottom of the bottle so that no damage is possible to the bottle bottom, and further providing the assurance that the bristles are always in engagement with the bottle bottom for a thorough cleaning job thereof during rotation of the cleaning brush.

Still a further feature of the present invention is to provide a bottle cleaning brush which is simple in'con-.

struction, can be readily used with =various types and shapes of bottles, and can be used with water or cleaning solvents for thoroughly cleaning the interior of a bottle.

The provision of a bottle cleaning brush for baby bottles and the like, such as briefly outlined above, and possessing the stated advantages, constitutes the principal features of the present invention. The provision of a cleaning brush which is simple in its construction and which therefore may be manufactured at a low cost; one which is rugged and durable and which therefore may be guaranteed to withstand rough usage; one which provides novel abilities for thoroughly cleaning a bottle interior; and one which, otherwise, is welladapted to perform the services required ofit, are further desirable features which have been borne in mind in the production and development of the present invention.

Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to the drawings as hereinafter set forth in greater detail, it is to be understood that wherever the expression, bottle is employed in the specification and in the claims it is used in a generic'sense including all types of receptacles in which it may be of a special advantage to use the brush of the invention for a thorough cleaning job on the interior surface thereof. For convenience of illustration the brush is shown utilized with a rectangular bottle of the baby bottle type, it being understood that such bottle is merely chosen for case of illustration and that the brush of the invention is equally operable with bottles of other configurations in the manner as will be described hereafter.

Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally designates a rectangular shaped baby bottle having sidewalls 11, a bottom 12, bottom corners 13, and longitudinal edges 14 extending between adjacent sidewalls 11. The bottle cleaning brush of the present invention is generally designated by reference numeral 17 and is shown in its operative position in FIG. 1 with the bristles engaging the interior surfaces of sidewalls 11, bottom 12, bottom corners 13 and edges 14 in a manner as will be hereinafter described in greater detail.

The cleaning brush consists of a rod-like longitudinally extending supporting member 21 having its top portion 22 shaped in the form of a crank arm with a handle 23 rotatively secured to the top end of the crank arm portion 22 for rotation relative thereto about a longitudinal axis approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of support member 21.

It is to be understood that while support member 21 is shown as a solid type rod-like member, it may also be made of twisted together wires or the like, this depending strictly on the desired type of manufactured product.

The bottom end portion of supporting member 21 has a plurality of bristles secured thereto generally designated by reference numeral 25 and consisting of a top brush portion 26 having a plurality of bristles each having one end secured to support member 21 with the free ends projecting radially outwardly therefrom and spaced longitudinally along a portion of the support member to define an elongated cylindrical top brush 1 portion as being of an elongated cylindrical shape having a top 27 and terminating at a pointindicated by reference numeral 28.

The lower portion of the brush 25 is designated generally by reference numeral 32 and consists of a plurality of bristles each having one end secured to support number 21 with the free ends extending therefrom to define a frusto-conical surface having its apex top portion adjacent and integral with top brush portion 26 and disposed immediately adjacent to the bottom of the top brush portion as defined by reference numeral 28. The bristles extending radially outward from the support member 21 define the maximum brush bristle diameter which is located at the bottom of the brush and indicated by reference numeral 33, and with it being understood that further bristle members are provided with each having one end secured to support member 21 and extending downwardly at an angle from the bottom end portion of the support member to define a bottom brush scrubbing bristle area 34 adapted to engage the bottom of a bottle upon insertion of the brush therein. This is further clarified by referring to FIG. 3 wherein the top brush portion 26 is shown as extending a longitudinal distance defined by reference numeral 36 which the bottom frusto-conically shaped brush portion extending a longitudinal distance defined by reference numeral 37 and projecting radially outward at bottom surface 33 a distance greater than the diameter of the top cylindrical portion 26 as indicated by reference numeral 38.

It is to be understood that the bristles utilized on brush 17 are those which are readily deformable and flexible to provide the required flexibility when inserting the brush through a neck opening of a bottle, and which will readily resume their normal bristle position, which is substantially perpendicular to the supporting member 17, after reaching the interior of the bottle 10. Further, any type of bristles may be used, such as ny- Ion, as well as any method suitable for fastening the bristles to the support member 17 as long as the bristles and their selected method of support are adapted to withstand long usage under adverse conditions in cleaning operations using water or solvents as the case may be.

It is further understood that the dimensions of the brush 17 and the bristles are selected for use with particular cross-sectional diameter bottles so that the brush may be supplied in a range of sizes for use with a great number of bottle sizes.

In operation, the brush 17 is inserted longitudinally through the neck of a bottle generally designated by reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 with the complete brush portion 25 being received within the interior of the bottle and the brush taking a position to simultaneously engage the interior surfaces of sidewalls 11, bottom surface 12, bottom corners 13 and a longitudinal sidewall edges 14. The brush is then rotated by grasping the bottle 10 in one hand to hold the same steady, while grasping the handle 23 with the other hand and moving the handle about the perimeter of a circle in either direction as generally indicated by arrow 39 in FIG. I. This movement effects the rotation of brush 17 about the longitudinal axis of support member 21 thereby effecting the rotation of the bristles 25 relative to the bottle 10 with the free ends of the bristles scraping and thoroughly cleaning all interior surfaces of the bottle by dislodging any particles or impurities thereon.

It is thus observed that the invention provides a brush that may be inserted through a bottle neck of a small diameter for cleaning a bottle having a relatively larger cross-sectional diameter with the brush being adapted to contact all portions of the interior of a bottle so that the bottle may be cleaned by simply rotating the brush therein. Bottles may thus be more easily and readily cleaned with a brush of this form than with brushes as known in the prior art. The provision of bristle members of progressively increasing length over a selected portion of the brush diameter conforms the brush to the bottom of the bottle for thoroughly scrubbing the corners therein to provide thorough cleaning thereof.

In cleaning the upper portions of the interior surface of bottle 10, it is readily seen that such is easily accomplished by pulling the brush 17 longitudinally upward in a direction out of the neck of bottle 10 until all portions of the upper interior surface of the bottle are engaged by the bristles, at which time the bottle is steadied in one hand with the fingers of that hand acting as a general guide about a central portion of support member 21, after which the brush 17 is rotated by handle 23 in the same manner as afore amply described for thoroughly cleaning the upper interior portion of the bottle.

It is to be understand that support member 21 is of a sufficient length to project outwardly from any ordinary bottle or receptacle when the brush 17 is inserted in the position shown in FIG. 1, leaving the crank arm portion 22 and handle 23 projecting sufficiently from the bottle for convenient manipulation.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that this invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction as to shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of the novel concepts thereof, or the scope of the sub-joined claims Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. A cleaning brush for cleaning bottles, such as baby bottles and the like, comprising, in combination:

a vertically extending cylindrical rod shaped supporting member having a top end and a bottom end;

a crank type arm associated with the top end of the supporting member extending parallel thereto and offset horizontally therefrom and having a top end and a bottom end, the bottom end being connected to the top end of the supporting member by a horizontally extending segment with rotation of the crank arm about the axis of the supporting member defining a circle concentric therewith;

a cylindrically shaped knob type handle open at its bottom end and closed at its top end, the open bottom end communicating with a cylindrical bore extending axially therethrough and of a crosssectional configuration to rotatably receive therein the top end portion of the crank arm such that the handle is rotatable about the axis of the crank arm;

a brush member consisting of an upper brush portion, a lower brush portion formed contiguous thereto and continuous therewith, and a bottom brush portion formed contiguous thereto and continuous therewith;

the upper brush portion consisting of a multiplicity of longitudinally disposed resilient deformable bristles extending radially outwardly from the supporting member in planes substantially normal to the supporting member, each bristle being substantially of the same length with the free projecting ends of the bristles generally defining a cylindrical longitudinally extending shape extending from a position intermediate the top and bottom ends of the supporting member to a position spaced inwardly of the bottom end of the supporting memher;

said lower brush portion consisting of a multiplicity of longitudinally disposed resilient deformable bristies with each bristle having one end attached to the supporting member and extending outwardly therefrom, the bristles becoming progressively longer from the top of the lower brush portion to the bottom of the lower brush portion with the free ends of the bristles defining a frusto-conical shape having the smallest diameter thereof positioned at the top thereof and equal to the diameter of the upper brush cylindrical portion shape and disposed contiguous thereto to form a continuous outer perimeter brush surface therewith, the lower brush portion disposed on the supporting member between the terminal point of the upper brush portion and disposed about the bottom end of the supporting member at the bottom end thereof;

said bottom brush portion consisting of a multiplicity of resilient deformable bristles each having one end connected to the bottom end portion of the support member with the free ends of each bristle extending downwardly at an angle away from the support member to form the bottom brush portion which is disposed contiguous with the lower brush portion and formes a continuous outer perimeter brush surface therewith and defines a bottom brush surface therefor;

whereby upon inserting the cleaning brush longitudinally through the neck of a bottle to be cleaned with the bristles engaging the interior side wall surfaces, bottom surface, and bottom edge surfaces of the bottle, and with the supporting member and crank arm projecting axially outwardly of the neck of the bottle, and then applying a slight longitudinal pressure on the support member in a direction to effect the engagement of the bristles with the interior corners of the bottle to bring the lower brush portion bristles and bottom brush portion bristles into their intended operative positions, rotation of the brush and associated bristles relative to the bottle about the axis of the supporting member effected by use of the rotatable handle to effect the scrubbing and cleaning of the interior wall, bottom,

edge and corner surfaces by the cleaning brush. 

1. A cleaning brush for cleaning bottles, such as baby bottles and the like, comprising, in combination: a vertically extending cylindrical rod shaped supporting member having a top end and a bottom end; a crank type arm associated with the top end of the supporting member extending parallel thereto and offset horizontally therefrom and having a top end and a bottom end, the bottom end being connected to the top end of the supporting member by a horizontally extending segment with rotation of the crank arm about the axis of the supporting member defining a circle concentric therewith; a cylindrically shaped knob type handle open at its bottom end and closed at its top end, the open bottom end communicating with a cylindrical bore extending axIally therethrough and of a cross-sectional configuration to rotatably receive therein the top end portion of the crank arm such that the handle is rotatable about the axis of the crank arm; a brush member consisting of an upper brush portion, a lower brush portion formed contiguous thereto and continuous therewith, and a bottom brush portion formed contiguous thereto and continuous therewith; the upper brush portion consisting of a multiplicity of longitudinally disposed resilient deformable bristles extending radially outwardly from the supporting member in planes substantially normal to the supporting member, each bristle being substantially of the same length with the free projecting ends of the bristles generally defining a cylindrical longitudinally extending shape extending from a position intermediate the top and bottom ends of the supporting member to a position spaced inwardly of the bottom end of the supporting member; said lower brush portion consisting of a multiplicity of longitudinally disposed resilient deformable bristles with each bristle having one end attached to the supporting member and extending outwardly therefrom, the bristles becoming progressively longer from the top of the lower brush portion to the bottom of the lower brush portion with the free ends of the bristles defining a frusto-conical shape having the smallest diameter thereof positioned at the top thereof and equal to the diameter of the upper brush cylindrical portion shape and disposed contiguous thereto to form a continuous outer perimeter brush surface therewith, the lower brush portion disposed on the supporting member between the terminal point of the upper brush portion and disposed about the bottom end of the supporting member at the bottom end thereof; said bottom brush portion consisting of a multiplicity of resilient deformable bristles each having one end connected to the bottom end portion of the support member with the free ends of each bristle extending downwardly at an angle away from the support member to form the bottom brush portion which is disposed contiguous with the lower brush portion and formes a continuous outer perimeter brush surface therewith and defines a bottom brush surface therefor; whereby upon inserting the cleaning brush longitudinally through the neck of a bottle to be cleaned with the bristles engaging the interior side wall surfaces, bottom surface, and bottom edge surfaces of the bottle, and with the supporting member and crank arm projecting axially outwardly of the neck of the bottle, and then applying a slight longitudinal pressure on the support member in a direction to effect the engagement of the bristles with the interior corners of the bottle to bring the lower brush portion bristles and bottom brush portion bristles into their intended operative positions, rotation of the brush and associated bristles relative to the bottle about the axis of the supporting member effected by use of the rotatable handle to effect the scrubbing and cleaning of the interior wall, bottom, edge and corner surfaces by the cleaning brush. 